U.S. Pat. No. 9,145,673 which issued to Hugh A. Dantzer on Sep. 29, 2015, discloses a modular deck assembly including a deck clip. As described in the Dantzer patent, modular decks and clips used as connectors in such decks are by no means new. An example of a modular deck is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,267, which issued to Hugh A. Dantzer on Apr. 3, 2001. The patents listed on the cover page of the Dantzer patent disclose modular deck systems and connectors used in the construction of such systems. In general, the modular deck systems are somewhat complicated and rely on specially designed connectors for assembling the systems. The inventor found that there was a need for a deck system which could be quickly assembled without specially designed planks and/or connectors. The modular deck described in the Dantzer patent is quick and easy to assemble.
An object of the present invention is to provide a modular patio assembly which is at least as simple as the Dantzer deck assembly described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,145,673, and which can be quickly constructed without a large number of screws or other fasteners.